Rebel Coast - Rebel Coast

Band Description
They are not your typical boy band, drawing from a wide range of musical influences from rock to electro and heavily infusing their multi-instrumental talents into their sound. Additional Band Websites

Artist Biography

The newly minted band "Rebel Coast" was formed during the weeks of The Next Star:Supergroup competitions. The groups had weeks to perform covers of songs for judges and a live audience which would eventually determine the winner at the live Finale. With just two teams remaining: "Rebel Coast" and "Electric Ave" , the bands both had an opportunity to release a music video for their first singles. Rebel Coast's song "We Are The Brave" reached #1 on the Canadian iTunes music video charts within a week after the release. The members of Rebel Coast include: Angelo Moretti, Curtis Smith, Kyle McVea, Amer Dhaliwal and Ryan Hawken.

Press Release

PS: Thanks for doing the interview. How’s your week going? RC: This week’s been really busy so far, but that’s a good thing. We had a few shows here and there, we did YTV Summer Beach Bash. We also did Day at the Airport, which had a great turnout. On August 22nd, we’re playing WEMfest. We have show on August 29th as well. PS: Are you excited for the upcoming show? RC: Yes! So excited! PS: First off, congratulations on winning The Next Star: Supergroup. Are you relieved that it’s over? Ryan: There are parts that we miss, but I think we’re all kind of relieved that the shows done now and we get to do our own thing now. Angelo: We were so lucky, because we had such nice, amazing people working with us. PS: We don’t get the show in America, so I’ve been catching up with clips on YouTube, and it seems kind of intensive, like it really expounds on all aspects of the business. Ryan: It was extremely busy and a lot of work, and it’s great that we came out on top. PS: I have to ask, after watching all of these clips, I see a lot of people talking about a rivalry between Rebel Coast and Electric Ave. Is it true? RC: [Laughs] No! Of course not! Ryan: I mean, when you’re spending that much time around people, you’re going to become friends. Sure, there’s a friendly rivalry, because you’re on a TV show, so there’s competition, but we’re all friends. Kyle: Yeah, and like, we all still speak to them. I talk to Dane more than the others, but we all still talk. We’re all still in contact. PS: Yeah, that makes sense. I just kept seeing all this crazy stuff, and I’m like, “Oh, is there really hate there or what’s going on?” Kyle: Yeah, they were kind of like the younger group, so I guess they looked up to us a little bit. PS: What did they say when you won? Ryan: They were really respectful. Obviously, they were a bit upset that they didn’t win, but they were good sports. It’s understandable, when you work for something for the entire summer and then you don’t come out on top, but they were very respectful, really great guys. [Murmurs of agreement] Curtis: They are still together and still making music, so we’re really glad that this didn’t stop them. PS: Were you guys surprised that you won at all or did you have a gut feeling? Kyle: I didn’t really know what was gonna happen. At the finales, it was like, “Alright, Electric Ave. have the shiny suits and then they have the white suits,” and I’m like, “Okay, well, we have black.” [all laugh] Ryan: We did have a drumline though, and that was pretty amazing. We’re happy with our group, we were hoping for this, we all get along, we all have a strong loyalty, and we’re all really close to begin with. But I think there was always doubt, and obviously, you never know what can happen, because it’s a voting show. PS: How did the choice for the original tracks (“Don’t Stop Now” and “We Are The Brave”) come about? Did you get a choice in it? Angelo: Honestly, no. But we didn’t get a lot of say in it, but that’s just the way it works with the show, and you just kind of get on with it. We were all pretty happy with the original songs though. Amer: Yeah, David Sharpe and a couple of other people wrote the songs, and as soon as he showed us the songs, we were pretty happy. PS: I bet you guys are also really happy with how well they’re doing on iTunes, and I know the Cancer Society has just picked up “We Are The Brave.” What are you hoping to do with those singles moving forward? Curtis: Well we actually just launched our VEVO account. On August 19th, we’re going to be launching “We Are The Brave” globally on iTunes, because as far as VEVO goes, it was on the Next Star’s home page and not available globally. And now, it’s available to everyone, which is great. PS: Are you hoping to take America by storm? RC: [Laugh] Definitely! PS: Do you think that being on a talent/reality competition show helped prepare you for being on a set and learning choreography, and pushing it a bit further? Ryan: For sure. We’ve had a taste of what it takes to be deep in the industry. We’ve done all the shows, all the preparing, seen all the experts, and we’ve dealt with all the long hours. So, yeah, definitely, we feel prepared for what’s to come. Even now, we’re doing a lot, and keeping really busy. Kyle: The show…I mean, me, personally, I never thought I’d be doing choreography. [Group laughs] I mean, we’re not doing it now, but I think it just shows that we can push ourselves more than we thought we could. It definitely gave us an appreciation for it. PS: I just watched the video for “We Are The Brave,” and the choreography was really good, and you guys looked like you had a lot of fun. Was it as hectic of a day as I imagine? RC: Oh yeah, really long hours. So busy! Curtis: Long hours… Amer: Really warm… Angelo: It was the longest day, but definitely the most fun though. PS: Did you just kind of have fun with having everyone on set and dancing? Kyle: As much as we hate choreography and dancing, it was definitely the most fun. PS: The single is very anthemic. How do you think that matches the first impression you hope to make? Curtis: Yeah, definitely. When we all first heard the track, we were all really excited, and just kind of bouncing. We were just like, “Yeah, this is a hit.” It’s just like, what’s a better song to go with than an anthem to represent ourselves? PS: Do you feel any pressure to follow in the steps of other modern boy bands like One Direction? Ryan: No, not at all. After the show was done, we’ve kind of found a sound and kind of a starting point for our image. We’re trying to stray from the boy band kind of aspect. I mean, we all play instruments, and we’re trying to make more of a bandsound. In our last few shows, we’ve been trying to keep it more organic, and ditch the tracks, and just starting a new chapter. PS: Are you excited for what’s to come? Are there any plans in the works? Kyle: Oh yeah, definitely. This is a whole new experience. Just not being able to walk down the street without someone asking to take a picture. I’m super excited for what’s to come. Amer: Lots of new plans for…ooh…can’t say that. We’re heading to Edmonton to play with Victoria Duffield and Ryan Beatty on the 22nd, and um, working on an album. We’ve been writing a lot, and hopefully, we’ll get into the studio soon and get some recording done. PS: You just touched on not being able to walk down the street without being recognized now. How are you coping with that newfound fame? Ryan: Um…well, it’s not too bad. I think when we go out by ourselves, it’s a lot easier than when we go out as a group. Whenever we’re all together, like going to a mall or something, we do get stopped. So…it’s not at the breaking point. It’s fun right now. Curtis: It’s pretty crazy. It’s cool that we’ve made an impact. RC: There’s been no lack of support and we’re really grateful for it. PS: Well thank you so much for doing this interview guys. It really was a pleasure to speak to you. RC: Thank you very much!